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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266863">The Hardest Word</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/otomiyatickles/pseuds/otomiyatickles'>otomiyatickles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Tickling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:47:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,626</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/otomiyatickles/pseuds/otomiyatickles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro is a rude bean again, and Kyo and Momiji won’t let him get away with it. He has to apologize!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sohma Hiro &amp; Sohma Kyou, Sohma Hiro &amp; Sohma Momiji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Hardest Word</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you anonymous Ko-fi Supporter for the <a href="https://href.li/?https://ko-fi.com/otomiyapatriarch">request</a>☕💖! I liked this unique setting with salty lee Hiro! He deserves some tickles:). Enjoooy*w*</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hiro knew he had been wrong. Tohru’s dumb expression, Kisa’s sad pout, Shigure’s look of disapproval. And most of all: Kyo’s very dark aura. All because he just let some unfriendly words slip out of his mouth towards Tohru.</p>
<p>What, she <em>was </em>wearing an ugly sweater wasn’t she? If it had been anyone else, Hiro might have said the same thing. There was also Momiji, shaking his head and judging him with this certain look in his eyes.</p>
<p>“That is not nice, apologize to Tohru!” Momiji commanded. Hiro scoffed. He had only come here because Kisa wanted to see Tohru. Now why was it so crowded here? Momiji could see them at school too, right? Ugh. So troublesome.</p>
<p>“Apologize when there is no reason? Nah,” he said. Kisa gently touched his arm, and no, Hiro was not going to look at her puppy eyes and give in and do something embarrassing as apologize. Not this time! </p>
<p>“Tohru-kun, why don’t you take Kisa for a walk? She wanted to spend time with you after all,” Shigure said. Saved! Kisa let go of Hiro’s arm and she nodded excitedly. A certain rabbit jumped up happily as well.</p>
<p>“A walk! I wanna gー” Hiro saw how Kyo pulled Momiji down again, granting Kisa her desired quality time with Tohru.</p>
<p>“You’re right, let’s go! If I remember correctly, Yuki-kun should be finishing his student council work soon. Want to go pick him up?” Tohru asked Kisa. Hiro watched fondly how thrilled Kisa was, so there they went, Tohru and her ugly sweater, and lovely Kisa, leaving Hiro alone with the guys. </p>
<p>“Seriously. Do you always have to be this rude?” Kyo asked loudly the moment Tohru and Kisa stepped out, and he slammed the table. Shigure, in the corner of the room, chuckled behind his newspaper. “Look who’s talking,” he murmured.</p>
<p>Kyo didn’t seem to notice or mind since he was only focused on Hiro, who glared back at him. “Yeah, what?” he asked defiantly.</p>
<p>“If something’s ugly, I say it’s ugly. Like your face,” Hiro said, annoyed at how Kyo seemed to be overreacting while he wasn’t any better. </p>
<p>“You only react this way because it involves that woman, but you’re not even less rude than I am. Admit it,” Hiro said cockily. Kyo fumed. </p>
<p>“HA?!” Kyo slammed the table again, and Momiji who had been quiet all this time raised his hand to calm them down, but Shigure was the first to respond, making things worse.</p>
<p>“He’s got a point there Kyo-kun,” he said, and Hiro enjoyed to see the cat raging. “He does not! I’m a grown guy, I can be rude whenever I want! This little lamb right hereー” he pointed at Hiro, making him gasp in shock and blush at the stupid nickname ー “he has no right!” Kyo continued.</p>
<p>“Little lamb?!” This time Hiro slammed the table. “You take that back!” he barked.</p>
<p>“Huh what? Why would I take back something that’s so very true?!” </p>
<p>Hiro wanted to stand up and rage, but Momiji grabbed him from behind. “No, don’t fight! Don’t...!” Hiro froze, tensing up completely when he felt Momiji’s hands grab his sides. </p>
<p>“L-let go! Let go of me!” Hiro said through clenched teeth. He then shrugged him off, letting out a startled cry. “You’re tickling me damn it!” he said. Momiji fell onto his butt, and he stared up at both Hiro and Kyo. </p>
<p>“Kyo-kun, let’s tickle him?” Momiji said, a smile still on his face like usual but it was as if Hiro’s rude reaction to him had triggered something. He looked a little bit... evil. </p>
<p>“Tickle?” Kyo looked down at Momiji and then at Hiro, who was already slowly backing away.</p>
<p>“Yes, let’s punish him and tickle him. It will make him happier too, I think it’ll be effective!” Momiji said, and he got back onto his feet and literally pounced.</p>
<p>“No w-wait!” Hiro fell back, tackled onto the floor by rabbitboy, and he flailed heavily when Momiji’s grabby hands went back to his sides and squeezed.</p>
<p>“GAhah! The hehehell!” Hiro cried. Kyo still stood there, watching them, but a smirk slowly appeared on his face.</p>
<p>“Punish the little lamb you say? Hmm, now I wouldn’t say no to that.” He cracked his knuckles and then attacked as well, a vicious and vengeful look in his eyes.</p>
<p>“NOhoho noooo!” Hiro had no idea why his initial response was try to seek protection from his first attacker- he threw his arms around Momiji’s middle and tried to literally crawl into him, but this only left his torso exposed, and Kyo had to make use of that.</p>
<p>“Take that!” He clawed at both his exposed sides, thumbs digging in mercilessly and Hiro’s shrieking laughter instantly sounded through the room.</p>
<p>“EEHahahahah! Nooohoho! Lehehet me goooo!” He cursed himself for wrapping his arms around Momiji, he could barely find a way to let go of him with his ticklish reflex to clamp onto him for his dear life. Momiji, the little jerk, hooked his fingers under Hiro’s helpless underarms and wiggled.</p>
<p>“<em>Kitzel kitzel</em>~! Is the little lamb so ticklish?” he teased. Damn bunnyboy and trash cat, they had no right! But Hiro had no way of protesting, he was lying there in between them, laughing his head off. He couldn’t count on Shigure either, the useless adult sat still in the corner of the room, reading the paper like a grandpa.</p>
<p>“Now that should cleanse your mouth from all those bad words, hm? What do you think, would you spare an apology?” Kyo said, not ceasing his attack even a little.</p>
<p>Hiro jerked heavily when Kyo’s wiggling and scratching fingers went from his sides to his front, attacking his poor sensitive tummy. He blushed like mad and shook his head.</p>
<p>“NEHEhever!” Not exactly the useful thing to say in a situation like this, but apparently he didn’t feel threatened enough just yet to give in.</p>
<p>“Have it your way then~!” Momiji sang. he continued to tickle his armpits and then suddenly attacked his exposed ribs a few times, making Hiro jump. He had also barely recovered from those tummy tickles, but thankfully Kyo already moved to another spot.</p>
<p>“NAHA-oh nohohoo!” Hiro barked when he felt how Kyo grabbed his ankle and scratched his socked sole. Never mind that ‘thankfully’. He now seriously <em>missed </em>the tummy tickles.</p>
<p>“Just apologize, it’s all it takes to make us stop, right?” Momiji said gleefully, exchanging smirks with Kyo. It was odd to see the two acting like partners in crime, and Hiro hated them both for choosing this moment and situation to do it.</p>
<p>“AHAHah I wohohon’t!” Again, maybe not the smartest move. But he couldn’t drop his defiance yet. </p>
<p>“SHIHigure-heheheelp!” he cried, trying to find other ways of escaping, but Shigure merely glanced at them and chuckled.</p>
<p>“Why. Is apologizing that hard?” was all Shigure said. Hiro blushed and desperately struggled when Kyo captured both his ankles with one arm and attacked the bottoms of his feet with ruthless scribbles.</p>
<p>“Harder than getting tickled to death, I guess! Good, get him Kyo~!” Momiji encouraged Kyo who was seriously wrecking Hiro’s poor feet. His toes curled and he struggled and thrashed helplessly.</p>
<p>“They do say sorry seems to be the hardest word. I think there’s even a song,” Shigure said matter of factly. Not helping!</p>
<p>“GAHAhha! NOhhhahah!” Hiro’s stomach hurt from laughing so much. Damn it! He especially felt like wetting his pants on the spot when Kyo clenched his leg between his knees and tickled his foot even more mercilessly; one hand holding back his toes and the other taking advantage of how his foot wasn’t going anywhere.</p>
<p>It scraped his sock off and attacked his bare sole with merciless scratches and scribbles. Hiro was <em>crying</em>. </p>
<p>“OKAHAHay! Okay I’m shahaa-I’m sohohooorry!” he cried. Not convincing enough yet, it seemed.</p>
<p>“I’m reheheeaally shahaah-sohohrry!” he wheezed. He wasn’t just in ticklish hell just now. He felt genuine. He felt bad for saying something like that to Tohru when all she did was show him kindness.</p>
<p>“I’m <em>sorry</em>!” he gasped. Kyo and Momiji finally released him, and Hiro greedily gasped for breath. </p>
<p>“He said it~” Shigure hummed triumphantly, not that he had done much anyway. Hiro continued to pant, and he clutched his own chest.</p>
<p>“I guess that was some good practice,” Momiji said, flexing his fingers.</p>
<p>“P-practice?” Hiro panted. Kyo nodded.</p>
<p>“You’re going to apologize to Tohru, not us. Dummy. She’s the one who deserves to hear it,” he said. Hiro’s eyes rolled back and he just collapsed on the floor again, exhausted. God!</p>
<p>“Seriously?” he panted. Momiji nodded.</p>
<p>“Yup! Just say it, or we’ll help you again~” Momiji said, wiggling his fingers. Hiro’s eyes widened. No. Not again. Not again so much tickling and definitely not in front of Kisa. He blushed.</p>
<p>“U-understood...” </p>
<p>So when Tohru and Kisa came home, accompanied by Yuki, Hiro obediently bowed his head to the brunette.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry for what I said,” he said, catching Tohru off guard. </p>
<p>“E-eh?” she squeaked, looking at everyone.</p>
<p>“Your clothes may n-not be my style but... I was wrong to offend you. I apologize,” Hiro said, eyeing Kyo and Momiji’s smug looks. The bastards. </p>
<p>Tohru smiled thankfully. “You’re so nice! Thank you!” she said, and the worst thing was that this girl was genuine. Hiro smiled against his will. To make things even better, Kisa walked up towards him and hugged him.</p>
<p>“He is the nicest,” she said proudly with a cute smile on her face. Awh. Hiro felt like melting. He was not exactly the nicest and he definitely needed some... ticklish force to get him this far. But in the end it was worth it.</p>
<p>Yuki looked around in confusion. “What did I miss?” :). </p>
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